Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to pick-up tools and devices for collecting refuse and waste. More specifically, the present invention relates to a pick-up tool that can be used to grasp refuse, dirt, or waste, and sift the same. An exemplary use of the present invention is picking up manure while sifting out and preserving stall bedding material or other elements that may be inadvertently picked up in the process.
The present invention is a general purpose pick-up tool with a sifting function. In one contemplated use, the device can be used to pick up animal droppings and manure. In farm or horse stable environments, cleaning out a stall can be time consuming work. Tools typically include shovels, muck rakes, and other tools to clean out manure therefrom. While these tools are useful, they can be ineffective in gathering all manure for removal, particular smaller pieces that are difficult to pick up individually. Small pieces can drop to the ground and become littered across the stall, requiring hand clean up or residual waste left in the stall. Therefore, a pick-up tool is useful for gathering smaller clumps and removing the same.
However, while gathering smaller quantities with a pick-up tools is desired, so too is retaining the stall bedding during the cleaning process. Therefore, a need exists for a pick-up device that can remove manure and other items while sifting and preserving reusable stall bedding and other elements, such as pine shavings and the like. The present invention provides a sifting pick-up tool. The tool is adapted to scoop waste or other material while sifting granular material therefrom. The tool comprises an elongated frame with a pair of jaw members along one end. The jaw members can be moved relative to one another using a slidable handle along the frame, while the jaw members are biased to remain in an open or closed state. While picking up waste and other material, loose and granular material is sifted through a mesh sifting screen disposed along one or both of the jaw members. Overall, the tool provides an effective means for cleaning animal stalls and sifting waste removed therefrom.